Saturday was a first trip for Marlow 4s for Bisham Abbey with a newly laid pitch that gave the Captain a flashback to the 70s. I’m not sure whether the pitch designer was colour blind but it was certainly a very striking pitch.

Reading 3s were the opposition this week and Marlow put out a strong squad to look and bounce back from the previous weeks loss. It was a good start as there were more than nine players when the match started so things were going to go well.

I think in the first half we were all still admiring the pitch as Reading went 3-0 up. I don’t think Reading had understood that we were looking for them to lose. Some opposition are so selfish. The half time whistle blew and Marlow were looking a little deflated coming off. Time to rally the troops and change the formation.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. There have been some real quality performances this season so far. Super Sheldon, the goal scoring dynamo Bernard Tyler (come back soon!), Michael Henderson-Sowerby (so good they had to double barrel his name).

Add to that roll call the name of Jack Pennant who put in a superb commanding performance in the centre of midfield, making himself available all over the pitch, developing the play and providing the conduit for the attack with Ian Cuthbert. There was nothing to stop us from coming back into it. We scored 4 against Ealing Lions after all

And that’s where their flipping keeper came in to it!!!

Marlow put up a strong defensive performance, were controlling in midfield and the forwards were constantly attacking the goal. Shot after shot went in from Marlow. We’ve got to get something here!

But no, their keeper had one of the best games I’ve ever seen from a goalkeeper. I suspect he was the England national side keeper and if he isn’t he should be getting considered for it on the strength of that performance. We just couldn’t get anything past him.
We had another goal scored against us and it finished 4-0 to Reading. It was a much stronger performance from Marlow in the second half and it’s that sort of level of performance that we need to have against the opposition in the next game